


The Greatest City in the World

by orphan_account



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: F/F, M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2016-05-17
Packaged: 2018-06-05 04:10:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6688627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On a trip to New York over summer break with the Hamilsquad, Eliza is suddenly thrust into close contact with Maria... all the time. Do feelings follow? (Spoiler alert: yes. They do.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Angelica gnawed at her eraser and sat back, satisfied.

“Obviously you know Peggy, there’s Laf and Alex… I think Mulligan’s coming. Oh, Laurens.”

She paused and studied the list of names with a furrowed brow. “You don’t know Maria, do you?” 

Eliza chewed thoughtfully on a section of powdered doughnut. “I know of her. She’s the one with the long hair, right?” 

Angelica glanced at her sideways, a small smirk tugging at her lips. “Uh huh. The pretty one.”

“What?”

“Nothing. OK. So Laf’ll want to be with Mulligan.” Eliza twisted her sugary fingers through a napkin.

“Well, they’re dating, so yeah.” 

Angelica scowled. “Don’t be a smartass. Jefferson and Madison… Peggy already told me she wanted to be with me.”

“Let me guess… Alex and John? Slurping on each other’s faces the entire time?”

Angelica rolled her eyes towards the ceiling in an of course gesture and flattened out her notebook on her knee. She let out a soft whistle, pointing with the tip of her pencil.

“So that leaves you and Maria!” 

She beamed, her smile a bit too wide and her cheeks pushed a bit too high. Her fingers jittered over the notebook’s spine absentmindedly. Eliza could feel her mouth drop open.

“I’m sorry, what?”

Angelica shrugged innocently. Oh, well, what can you do? Bad planning, I suppose!" She took a long swig of milk that looked like it was hiding the flavor of a grin, drew her sleeve across her lips, and justified herself with a jubilant, “I’m already with Pegs!”

Peggy, who had been meditatively working her way through the box of Krispy Kreme, swallowed thickly and mumbled something that sounded affirmative.

“But…” Eliza gazed helplessly at the notebook. “Can’t you arrange something else?”

“Sorry, sis. New York’s expensive enough without getting you each a single. Look’s like you have a roomie!”

She and Peggy shared a quick hand slap, and Eliza drew her knees close to her body, wrapping her arms snugly around her shins.

Great.  
____________________________________________________________________________

“Road trip!” Alex whooped, flinging his bags in the trunk. “I call shotgun!” 

Thomas tried to whine his way into the front, but was silenced at the uncomfortable look on James's face. He gracefully swallowed his arguments and headed for the back with his boyfriend, Laurens and Peggy trailing behind them. Angelica had already assumed her position as designated driver (much to her chagrin), and Laf and Mulligan had already hurtled in with too much excitement for a ten hour car ride, so Eliza was left with Maria, who was fascinated (or pretending to be fascinated by) the chips of mica embedded in the sidewalk.

“Um, hi!” Eliza could hear the painful shrillness of her own sunflower-bright voice. “You’re Maria, right?” Too perky, much much much too perky.

Maria glanced up, amber eyes barely visible through a long spill of hair. “Mmhm.”

Silence.

Eliza tried again.

“So, New York, huh? Ever been before?”

“No.”

Work with it. 

“It’s amazing. I promise.”

“Cool.”

Eliza could practically hear crickets chirping as Maria tore her gaze from the sidewalk and fixed her stare on the way light reflected off the rearview windows.

Eliza watched the windows, too.

Just as the awkwardness was reaching epic proportions, Angelica gave two quick honks on the horn and hurled an irritated get a move on! from the window, sending Maria scuttling into the car.  
OK, maybe scuttling was the wrong word. Her movements were a bit more graceful than a scuttle, but not elegant enough to constitute a saunter. 

Eliza was content to dissect word definitions all day, but suddenly Lafayette was calling her and John was having trouble untangling his earbuds and she forgot all about her quiet roommate huddled in the seats furthest back.  
____________________________________________________________________________

The maniacal hum caused only by too much excitement crammed into way too tiny a space had faded to a pleasant buzz in the background. Alex and Angelica had been engaged in a fierce battle of wits for a solid quarter of an hour, Angelica gripping the steering wheel tighter every time Alex made a good point. 

Maria was still alone in the backseat, staring out the sliver of open window. Her eyes were glazed over, and even though wind teased strands of her hair over her lips, she didn’t reach to brush them away. Every time one of the other burst into peals of laughter, Maria would jump and press herself further into the door.

Eliza hesitated, but her heart won over. Jabbing a thumb into the red button on her seatbelt, she ignored the obnoxious buzz and clambered into the back, dropping with a heavy thump next to the shy girl.

Maria’s eyes were still fixed on the sleek buildings rising from the asphalt. Eliza turned to her backpack and dug around for her laptop, a bit surprised when Maria turned from the window and pulled out the other side of the bag’s mouth, making it easier to pry out the desired materials.  
“Thanks,” Eliza whispered, flashing her a quick grin, surprised to see Maria’s lips curl up in return. 

Angelica wasn’t lying. She truly was ridiculously pretty.

“Do you write?”

It took Eliza a minute to regain her focus, which had slipped to wondering about Maria’s lipstick shade.

“Oh. Well, I do, but I was actually just going to play a really shitty game that I’m obsessed with…?” Eliza glanced up from under her eyelashes sheepishly, and Maria gave a quick, bright laugh that echoed in Eliza’s ears like bell chimes, pretty and free enough for Eliza to let a soft smile form on her lips.

And maybe that smile was why Maria felt comfortable enough to shift a bit closer and try her own hand at maneuvering the small, purple avatar over various death traps. Her eyes, soft as sable, were concentrating single-mindedly on the game, but Eliza couldn’t help but focus on the fingers and the quick, deft way they manipulated the keyboard. Her fingernails were polished a rich red, and they looked like ladybugs tapping and clicking and giving a single, angry drum on the keys whenever she lost a level.

Two sharp claps interrupted them, and Eliza jerked her gaze up to meet a smug Angelica.  
“Hey, darlings. Time for a rest stop.”

“Perfect,” Maria commented, slipping onto the pavement and stretching her arms luxuriously. “I want a Sprite. Anyone want to share a bag of M&Ms?” The last sentence was shouted over to the group, and a chorus of yeahs and sures and why nots answered her.

Angelica butted in, as always, with a flirtatious wink and a nudge to Eliza’s shoulder. “You’re not the only one who wants something sweet. Right, ‘Liza?” She turned innocently to her sister, as did Maria, who clearly didn’t suspect a thing.

Eliza could feel the blush work it’s way up to her cheeks, and turned to shove her laptop back into its bag to hide her embarrassment. 

“I don’t know.” She’s just messing with you. Stay calm. “I might want some chocolate, or something. Gonna hit the bathroom first, though.” Maria gave a wave and jogged off to rejoin the majority of the group, who were clustered around the junk food section.

Angelica slung an arm around Eliza’s shoulders, the latter glaring at the former and shrugging off said arm.

“Seriously, Angelica? Something sweet?” She shook her head in disgust. “You’re twelve.” Eliza huffed and brushed away a stray piece of hair, irritated.

“Sorry, sis. Would it make it better if I bought you those truly terrible sour rope thingies you love?” 

Eliza sighed. “It might.”  
____________________________________________________________________________  
The rest of the car ride was mainly uneventful. The typical road trip wars such as air conditioning, (Lafayette wanted it cooler, Alex wanted it hotter, Angelica said that she was driving the damn thing and she would choose the temperature as she saw fit), what channel the radio should be turned to (John wanted Disney tunes because Disney, Alex argued for something classical, and Mulligan patiently intervened with a side remark about the number of car accidents that occurred while the driver was fiddling with dials), and the merits of car games (Jefferson said that they were puerile, Alex insisted they stimulated thinking, and Madison, in an unusual twist on his typical quiet self, warned that he was going to break the neck of the next person who spoke).

Maria slept for a good portion of the ride, head cushioned in the crook of her arm, lips slightly parted as she breathed evenly. 

Eliza’s gaze drifted down to wear Maria was asleep, looking so calm. So peaceful.  
And eventually Eliza’s head followed said gaze and she dozed against the sun-warmed window and let her eyes shut.

TBC! This is my first work on Archive, and this is going to be a fairly long one, I suppose. I covered a good amount of ground in the first chapter, but it will probably slow down a bit and I can’t wait to see where these characters take me!  
Thanks so much for reading. I hope that you like the story and continue to read it! <3


	2. Chapter 2

It took Angelica a good ten minutes to figure out how to maneuver the large van through the parking garage under the hotel, and another fifteen of wandering aimlessly and constant arguing to find the door to the correct level. 

“Who the hell designs these things?” Jefferson complained, listlessly dragging his backpack behind him.

“Some sadistic engineer without a license who dropped out of college three times,” Mulligan shot back. Jefferson turned to look at him, eyebrows raised.

“I’m actually slightly alarmed at how quickly you came up with that.

Eventually everyone trooped into the lobby and sort of just stood around lethargically while Lafayette- the only perky one at this point- talked to the girl at check-in. He returned quickly, a few sets of key cards fanned out in his hands and a strict order to change and be back in the lobby by six.

“Stop treating us like we’re on a school field trip!” Alex whined, slumped against John, who was swaying a little himself.

“Stop behaving like you’re on a school field trip, then,” Lafayette muttered, and shoved plastic cards at each of them. 

____________________________________________________________________________

The elevators were crammed.

Of course.

“We’ll take the stairs,” Lafayette offered, his arm probably the only thing keeping Mulligan up. “The rest of you can go up in that one.” He gestured grandly at one of the elevators which was slightly less full than the rest. Lafayette darted off with Mulligan, presumably to find some stairs, and the rest of the group started trickling into the elevator. Eliza was about to step in herself, but an old man propped on a cane reached out a trembling hand and placed it kindly on her shoulder.

“Maximum occupancy is reached, girlie.” He stumped his cane forward an aching step. “Let me get out first so you two can get it.” Another thump, accompanied by a quiet crack that came from the vicinity of his back.

Eliza and Maria exchanged alarmed glances, and both reassured the old man that it was completely fine and that they’d just wait for the next one.

The elevator doors swept shut and it began its slow ascent.

“Do you really think the elevator would break under the weight of two more people?” Eliza asked Maria, who shook her head and let out a giggle.

“That old man looked like he weighed a pound and a half.”

“Seriously! I thought he was going to break in two as soon as he took a step! And did you see that lady in the back corner?”

“The one in the purple jogging suit? I know, right? She looked like a dandelion seed!”

“She was pretty, though,” Eliza commented thoughtfully. “I wonder what her name is?”

Maria shrugged. “Do you think she lives in New York?” Maria pressed the arrow button with her thumb and rocked back on her heels.

“Well, I mean, this is a hotel, so probably not,” Eliza laughed. “She’s probably here on a business trip, goof.” She gave Maria a light shove.

Maria blushed, gaze dropping to the floor as she mumbled something about how Eliza was probably right, but it was clear Eliza’s comment had somehow stung her. Eliza groaned inwardly, angry thoughts pounding through her head like marathon runners. You just got her to open up and now you embarrassed her. Nice going, moron.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“Elevator’s here,” Maria interrupted. She darted through the doors, pressing herself up into a corner and giving Eliza a tentative smile with only a small amount of wobbling. 

Eliza dug her fingernails into her palm, relishing the sting. “It certainly is.”

____________________________________________________________________________

Maria accepted Eliza’s second apology, brushing it off with a lighthearted “It’s fine”, even though it was clear the joke had bothered her. Not wanting to make a big deal of it, Eliza let it go, chitchatting about unimportant topics and filling up the empty (except for them), slightly creepy elevator car with meaningless noise. 

“Do you mind if I take a quick nap?” Eliza asked Maria. “Don’t worry about being quiet. I can sleep through a hurricane and I’m exhausted.”

Maria nodded, swiping the keycard and pushing that handle down with a soft click. The door swung open. Maria and Eliza hesitated.

“Wow. It’s…”

“Small.” Maria finished bluntly. “Very, very small.”

Eliza winced as she saw the bed. The queen sized bed. The one queen size bed.

“Do you think we could get the hotel to fix that?” Maria asked tentatively. Eliza strode over the the phone, picking up the receiver and ignoring the drone. Tapping a few buttons, she pedaled her foot up and down as the phone rang shrilly.

It didn’t pick up.

“I’m going to go downstairs and see if they can put us in a new room.” Eliza lightly patted Maria on the back, the silky, purple shirt she was wearing soft to the touch. “It’ll all work out.”

“OK. I’m going to get a drink of water first, though. The road chocolate kinda clogged up my throat.”

“Get me one, too,” Eliza called over her shoulder, starting for the door. She was stopped in her tracks as a quick, startled scream emanated from the bathroom. “Maria? Are you OK?”

A splash, and then Maria backed out awkwardly, hunched on her knees, frantically pushing at something on the floor with fistfuls of towels.

“Is it a cockroach?” Eliza started towards the bathroom. “I can deal with it if you’re scared of them. We had tons when I lived in- Holy shit!”

The bathroom was quickly flooding with water, pipes creaking under the weight of the rusty water trickling through the cracks in the tiles. Maria snapped her fingers at Eliza, who came out of her daze and twisted frantically, attempting to find something to stem the flow. Jerking the quilt off the bed, she wadded it into a roll, pushed it into the bathroom, and slammed the door behind it.

The water stopped, if momentarily, but the red sliver of rug remained visible under the door, a waterlogged reminder.

“OK, we definitely need a new room.”


	3. Chapter 3

In the end, they both went down to request a new room. Maria kept shooting apprehensive glances at the shut door, the waterlogged quilt starting to leak fuzzy water onto the cheap carpeting, and they mutually agreed that Eliza was the chattier one. No problem. 

They also both elected to take the stairs, faith in the hotel’s appliances significantly lessened by the water incident. That went off without a hitch, both admitting they should exercise more, anyhow.

And when Eliza suggested they ask Lafayette if they could meet the rest of the group at the restaurant since the getting ready time had been sliced by, again, the infamous water incident? Maria smiled and nodded, and everything was harmonious and blessed by the angels.

But then the time came when they asked for a new room.

“Our room is flooded with water,” Eliza said firmly. “We would like a new room.” The receptionist looked unimpressed.

“No can do.”

Well, then.

“You’re not honestly telling me they’re all full?”

He shrugged and turned away from her, liberating a piece of gum from the wrapper and folding it insolently into his mouth. Eliza caught a glimpse of his folder when his back was turned, which showed at least three free rooms.

Well, then.

“This service is abominable!” Eliza couldn’t help slamming her fist on the counter, but reigned in her anger. “All right. The very least you can do is send up a mechanic. Our room is actually completely literally flooding.”

“Excuse me, sir,” Maria gave him a shy smile and fiddled with a strand of hair. “We just wanted to make sure that this hotel isn’t ruined by water damage. It’s beautiful, you know.” She gazed up at him with wide, innocent eyes and batted her thick lashes. In the excitement her already clingy, light lavender shirt had been pulled down, exposing swooping crescent moons of her scarlet bra.

Eliza stared in shock.

The receptionist smiled back, showing more teeth than necessary, and agreed without a murmur.

“I’m afraid we only have rooms like the one you were just in- a single queen sized bed,” he said, voice apologetic. “You don’t mind?”

“Oh, thank you!” Maria trilled, birdlike. “That’s absolutely wonderful.”

He handed over the keys, cheeks darkening when their hands brushed, and Maria pulled Eliza off to the new room triumphantly.

____________________________________________________________________________

“What was that?” 

Eliza’s voice cracked like a whip in the echoing stairwell and when Maria flinched, guilt pooled into her stomach. Still, she forged on. “What was that whole dumb gorgeous girl routine about?”

Maria shrugged. “What does it matter? It got us a room, didn’t it?” 

Eliza stuttered for a minute, but regrouped. “It’s… it’s not right! It’s degrading, and…”

“And what?” Maria stopped climbing and her hands flew to her hips. “You think I’m a slut? I find that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. You were the one who started yelling at him, and we all saw how effective that was!” She stopped abruptly. Eliza winced at the clang that echoed through the hallway when Maria’s purse buckle collided with the metal stairwell. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it, I’m so sorry please don’t…” The rest of her words dropped off and she lowered her gaze to the floor, knuckles whitening on the banister.

Though Eliza’s brain was still kind of whirling, enough thoughts had settled and clicked into place that her anger started to seep away.

“You didn’t say anything wrong. You were defending yourself, which is perfectly all right. You did not raise your voice.” Eliza kept her voice soft and her hands raised, and skimmed through her mental folder to make sure she had covered all her bases. Oh, right. “I’m not going to hurt you, either.”

Maria’s hand slowly started to return to normal hand color, and she let go of the bar. Seemingly embarrassed, she nursed her palm, which had a red welt running across where she had gripped the stairwell, and blew softly on it.

What had happened to her to make her this jittery?

“You OK?” Eliza started for her and caught up her hand gently, examining the palm. “Good God, how hard were you holding on?” She turned to the bar and saw that it had a raised edge protruding from the middle, presumably the culprit of the welt. “That looks like it hurts.”

Maria said nothing. Her eyes were just as deep and beautiful as they had been when she was flirting with the receptionist, but now they held a fleck of fear as she murmured that she was fine.

Eliza reached for her phone, tapped a few buttons, and tucked it in the crook of her neck, pinning it to her ear with a shoulder. She touched the angry red line on Maria’s palm lightly, and Maria’s fingers curled instinctively.

Suddenly she struggled not to drop the phone instinctively as sounds of the outside world suddenly flooded through the tinny speakers. Laughter, abrasive and harsh, pounded its way through the telephone line. Music expanded until the entire stairwell was throbbing with the drums. 

Eliza flicked her eyes over to Maria, who was eyeing the phone with dread. Making a snap decision, Eliza clicked down the volume a few notches and said, hesitantly, “Hello?”

“‘Liza! Where are you? Where’s Maria? Are you OK?” Angelica sounded slightly detached and Eliza estimated her drink intake to be minimum.

“Angelica? Hi! There’s a dining hall here, right?”

“No clue, why?”

A few muffled thumps and a flirtatious “Why, hello there,” resulting in a ridiculously high pitched giggle sent Eliza’s estimated Drink-O-Meter skyrocketing.

“Maria and I are gonna eat here, OK?”

It was a testament to how completely inebriated Angelica was that she didn’t protest.

“Sure, whatever. Meet us at the theatre at 9, kay?”

Eliza repeated her last word and pressed the red hang-up button. Maria was looking at here with those eyes again.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said quietly. “It sounded like fun.”

It was a testament to how completely Eliza was set on not hurting Maria’s feelings that she didn’t roll her eyes at the lackluster tone.

Plus, Maria was totally trying to suppress a gigantic beam.

“No, it didn’t.” And she wasn’t lying. Truthfully, Eliza hated gigantic gatherings. When her parents renewed their vows, it was all she could do to stay in the room during the afterparty. “I hear there’s a waffle maker.” Eliza lightly hooked her arm through Maria’s. “Betcha I can eat more waffles than you.”

Maria didn’t move away, but laughed lightly. “There’s a certain skill to waffle making, Schuyler. Do you have what it takes?”

Eliza tossed her head and started back down the stairs.

“Bring it on.”


	4. Chapter 4

(!!!!!) WARNING (!!!!!) This chapter gets pretty sexual near the end? Yeah, trust me, I was NOT expecting it to go in that direction. Sorry if it’s too explicit. I’ll put a little star and the whole thing in italics if that triggers you or if it’s uncomfortable for you, so skip that part if you wish, lovelies!

It turned out that neither of them were any good at making waffles. Maria wasn’t patient enough and kept checking to see if hers was done, and Eliza let hers burn while she was hovering over the bagel section.

“So, haven’t you noticed that all this is breakfast food?” Maria asked conversationally, throwing mini packs of frosted flakes and apple jacks in her purse so fast her hand was nearly a blur. Eliza stopped, three cups of packaged maple syrup dangling from her hand.

“Yeah. Is this supposed to be for tomorrow’s…”

“Oh, crap.”

“Grab everything you can and run,” Maria hissed, pointing at a small alcove. “Do you think we can get up to our rooms this way?”

Eliza swathed two doughnuts in a fistful of napkins and grabbed almost the whole selection of teas on display. Maria poked her head out from where she was exploring the alcove and flashed a thumbs up, and the two girls hurried for the stairs.

______________________________________________________________________________

Maria seemed completely absorbed in spreading their loot across the bed, but Eliza was sorting on autopilot. As her hands flew, her mind was whirling with how to ask all the questions she wanted to without hurting Maria’s feelings.

What does it matter? You barely know her. It’s none of your business and not your problem.

“OK, we have two options. Do you want powdered, or frosted?” Maria asked, delicately sucking sugar from her fingers.

“Mmhm,” Eliza responded absently, immediately looking away. She could feel her entire face erupt into flames as Maria mouthed at her thumb to get the last bit of powder off.

How was Maria even real?

And, of course, Maria noticed Eliza’s gze and her own cheeks tinted raspberry. 

“Muffin?” Maria offered, voice strained. Eliza accepted the chocolate pastry handed to her and pretended that every ounce of concentration she had had to be focused on unwrapping the muffin. The ridges, in particular, were extremely difficult; crumbs tended to cling. Anything that stayed trapped in the confines of the wrapper were wasted sugary morsels that simply deserved better.

But Eliza’s gaze kept darting towards Maria, completely against her will. 

______________________________________________________________________________

When they finished their impromptu dinner, it was 7:30. Since neither of them knew the way to the theatre, Maria suggested they set a half hour limit for dressing so they had built-in leeway for any getting-lost incidents. Eliza agreed and fixed her phone accordingly. Maria draped a garment bag over her arm and shut the bathroom door behind her with a soft click.

Eliza had chosen a soft blue dress that had a sash she could tie in a big, loopy bow that, though slightly childish, still made her happy. She twisted in the mirror admiring the low heels she had picked out- perfect for lots of walking on New York streets. 

And then the door swung open with a fair amount of creaking and Maria stepped out.

She was wearing a black dress. A black dress that accentuated slender legs that went on for miles, smooth and caramel and gorgeous. Eliza’s eyes were soon drawn down. Maria was steady atop heels, delicate ankles choked with straps and ties 

The dress itself clung to her perfectly, exaggerating the dip of her waist and the fullness of her hips, and showing off the curves of her bust.

Her lids were coated in light glittery powder, a sweeping wing lining her eye. Her lips were their signature crimson, but instead of a light gloss, she had opted for a matte shade.

She was stunningly, heart-droppingly beautiful.

Luckily Maria didn’t see Eliza’s momentarily brain explosion. She was too busy examining herself in the mirror. Pulling a face, she tried to pull her hair into three strands and braid them together, but each piece came out uneven and lopsided.

“Here, let me help.”

Wait, did Eliza say that?

Apparently so, because Maria thanked her wordlessly with a smile and pulled a hairband from her own wrist.

Eliza gently combed Maria’s long, thick hair into three tangle-free pieces and wove them into a simple, high braid. She hesitated for a moment, but wrapped the braid around itself several times into a braided bun. Her fingers brushed against the nape of Maria’s neck, and the sitting girl shivered and sighed lightly.

“Almost perfect!” Eliza announced too loudly, trying to diffuse the awkward tension. “Hold this here?”

Maria obeyed, and Eliza fished through her makeup bag impatiently, emerging triumphantly with a barrette. It ran about the length of her pointer finger, and was crafted from metal flowers painted in all shades of gold. She anchored the bun with the clip, and surveyed her work.

Maria seemed pleased, ghosting her fingers over the elegant bun and twisting her long, shapely neck to see it better.

Eliza realized she was smiling stupidly and ordered her lips into a more neutral expression.

Oh, dear.

______________________________________________________________________________

The show was probably very good- it was something with a bunch of giant dance numbers and revealing costumes and a cheesy plot- but Eliza saw about three percent of it. 

Maria’s lips parted softly into a small “O” whenever anything interesting happened, and she rocked back and forth on her chair the tiniest bit the lovers got into an argument over something ridiculous and cliche, and a few tendrils of hair escaped the clip and bounced in glossy curls that framed her face.

Thank God Maria was totally oblivious to Eliza’s gaze

And then Lafayette kept shooting them teasing looks, and Angelica kept glancing over at them with a wicked smile, and Alex looked confused for a while until John whispered something to him.

Eliza finally glued her eyes to the stage, resolute in her determination to focus on the plot.

Chorus girls flooded out in little more than a bra and miniskirts with giant feathered headdresses, singing about “young and beautiful dames”. 

Lafayette coughed. Angelica sniggered. John murmured yet another explanation in Alex’s ear.

And then came the real embarrassment of the night.

It was loud.

It was mortifying.

And it sure caught Maria’s attention. 

“Oh!” Alex gasped, wide eyes darting from Maria to Eliza. “Eliza, you like- hey!” The last bit was an indignant yelp since John had slugged him in the shoulder and hissed something at him. Alex flushed under the angry stare of half the audience. Even a few of the dancers seemed to be singing more aggressively, smiles painted on for the benefit of the small amount of audience that had remained ignorant.

Maria glanced up to find herself pinioned by the stares of her friends.

“Yes?” She mouthed, glancing from face to face.

Eliza breathed out a heavy sigh of relief when Maria, on finding no answers, rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the show.

*_____________________________________________________________________________

Maria bucked up, gasping breathless curses into the air as Eliza lightly crooked her fingers against the perfect spot. Again. Again. Eliza straightened her fingers so that she was barely touching the other girl and surveyed the whimpering mess in front of her. Maria bucked her hips, desperately searching for some friction.

“Please,” Maria murmured, chest heaving. “I need more, I need… mmmm.” A groan was dragged from her throat as Eliza pressed hard and vibrated. “Oh, keep going, that’s perfect, don’t stop don’t stop-!” 

Eliza stopped.

Maria panted, but gazed up at Eliza with needy, lustful eyes.

Eliza shifted to straddle her hips while still keeping her fingers inside Maria.

“What do you need, sweetheart?”

“Oh!” Maria choked out as Eliza palmed at her once, sending red-hot pleasure coursing up her spine. 

“Just tell me and I’ll give it to you,” Eliza teased, taking the opportunity to twist her fingers to rub up perfectly inside Maria again. Maria gasped and heaved out a long, sultry moan.

“Please, I need you,” she begged, arching as Eliza clashed their hips together again. 

“I suppose I can help you out there.”

Eliza bent her head between Maria’s velvety thighs and began to-

_____________________________________________________________________________

 

Eliza bolted awake, clutching sheets to her chest and struggled to calm the hitching of her breath. She was tangled awkwardly, wrapped too tightly in her own pajamas. 

Maria slept, unbothered and unaware, right next to her.

Slipping out of bed, Eliza padded to the bathroom, filled a cup with water, and downed it in a single gulp.

The air had the still, silent, cool quality of nighttime, and the faint fluorescent light was harsh and garish compared to the darkness of the bedroom. Eliza let her head thud against the wall and stared, uncomprehending, at herself.

“You kinky little…”

She couldn’t finished. She was a mix between disgusted with herself for having an extremely explicit dream about her probably straight roomie… and also incredibly aroused. 

She ran her hand through her hair, wincing as her fingers tangled in the knots, and took a deep breath.

The only way to kill romantic feelings is to kill the relationship. And if there was one thing Eliza was good at, it was skillful avoidance.

All she had to do was keep out of Maria’s way until the trip was over, and she would never, ever see her again.

 

I’m bi and sometimes the side of me that likes girls just suddenly bursts out and I’m like “Woah, hold on, go back where you came from!” Sorry ‘bout that!  
Anyway, I just want to thank everyone who kudosed (kuded? Kudoed? I don’t know!) and left comments. It really makes… my week, actually, to hear that people enjoy my work and like my stories. You truly have no idea how much it means to me. I’ve been out of the fanfiction game for a few years now and I don’t really know how good my writing is anymore…  
I’m kinda worried that I may have turned a few people off my writing with the dream. Well, something like that probably isn’t gonna happen again, so don’t worry, you may continue to read in peace!!!  
I'm not quite satisfied with this chapter, either. Mleh.  
Well, I’ll stop rambling. You’re sure to get a new chapter pretty soon- I can’t not write for long after my year of hiatus! : ) <3


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